Elevator safety device.



J. P. PROSHEK.

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1915.

1,161,969. Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

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J. P. PROSHEK.

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

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gvvuewbo'o JREProaiuJz 92,1, v (1410mm APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1915- F |g.5. Wihqcooeo C c0 WASHINGTON D c STATES PATENT TQE.

JOHN P. PROSHEK, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. so, 1915.

Application filed January 4, 1915. Serial No. 364.

Safety Devices, of which the following is a" specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in elevator safety devices.

The primary object of this invention 1s to provide an attachment for elevators wheree by the elevator car is automatically locked in its position in theshaft in the event of a severing of the hoisting cable, thus prevent ing any injury to the contents of the car which would be otherwise occasioned by a dropping ofthe car to the bottom of the shaft.

A further object is to provide an attachment which may be installed upon any form of elevator car vwithout materially changing the structure thereof and whereby the car is instantly locked to the shaft members upon any sudden drop of thecar at a speed greater than the ordinary pre-determined speed of travel thereof.

A still further object is to provide a combined spring and weight tensionedclutch upon an elevator car normally held inoperative by the hoisting means for the car but adapted to be released upon a severing of such means.

lVith the above objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the inven-' tion is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a front elevation of an elevator car partly in section and portions of the shaft guides being shown, the mechanism be ing positioned with the car supported by its operating cable. Fig. 2 is a side view of the car with clutch members in engaging position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the car with the elements in their locked positions. Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view takenthrough a portion of the device slightly above the lockingmembers and with such members in their actuated locked positions, and Fig. 5 is one gf the swinging guide-engaging shoe memers.

The present invention relates to attachments for elevator cars and whereby the same may be automatically and substantially instantaneously locked in its position in the shaft upon a breaking of the hoisting cable,

an elevator car 10 isherein illustrated as provided with a hoisting cable 11 and vertically movable between the. vertically-positioned angle-iron guides 12, the car being retained in sliding position on such guides by top and bottom spaced lugs 13. V

The car 10 has a cross beam 14 spanning the top thereof while transverse beams 15 are positioned at the opposite endsof the car top. 7 j

A rectangular frame 16 is positioned above the car top and has a central cross-piece 17 provided with a centrally-positioned eyebolt 18 into which the hoisting cable 11 is secured. Transverse strips 19 are carried adjacent the opposite ends of the frame 16 while rods 20 are vertically secured adjacent the opposite ends of the beam 14 and are slidably received through vertical pervvforations 21 of the said strips 19 while the heads 22 of the said rods 20 are engaged by the strips 19 when the frame is suspended from the cable, and therebythe car is supported by the frame through the agency of the said rods.

Two springs 23 are provided which are adapted to bring the frame 16 into seating contact upon the transverse top beams 15 of the car whenever the supporting cable is severed or detached and these springs are in the form of slitted tubes normally tending to automatically close in the form of a complete tube or hollow cylinder. Upper levers 24 have their outer ends hinged as at 25 to depending brackets 26 centrally carried by the cross strips 19 of the frame 16 while the provided which have their outer ends secured to the top beam 14 adjacent the bases of the vertical rods 20 while the inner free ends of the said lower levers are projected through slots 29 of the said springs and have their terminal ends turnedwover or hooked as at 30 for locking the springs upon the ends of sioned which normally occurs during the operation of the car by means of the said cable.

'Upon a severing or disconnecting of the cable however, the springs will tend to close and together with the weight of the frame 16 will bring the frame to a position nearer the top of the car and closer to the transverse beams 15 thereof.

. Depending bolts 31 are carried by the projecting opposite ends 32 of the frame 16 and are sliclably received through perforations 33. of the end beams 15 ofthe car top while angular brackets 3% are adjustably secured. to the lower screw-threaded portions of the said bolts. The sides 35 of the car are provided with swinging brake shoes 36 pivoted thereto by means of pins 37 and positioned upon opposite sides of the adjacentshaft' guide 12 and out of contact therewith.

pivoted to the car sides 35 by the pins 39, each cam being provided with an outwardlyprojecting operating arm 40 having a terminal counter-weight 41 which tends to normally hold the said clutching cams in en-. gagement with the shoes 36, which latter thereby flatly engage the opposite sides of the adjacent guide 12. .Connecting links 42 are pivotally attached between the free lower ends of the brackets 3i and central enlarged portions 43 of the levers 10.

It having been already pointed out that the springs 23 tend to bring the frame 16 into a position adjacent the car top, it will be seen that when such action occurs upon a severing of the hoisting cable, the bolts 31 will be likewise lowered, together with the brackets 34: and links 42 which force clownwardly the levers 40, assisted by the weights 41, so that the result of severing the hoisting cable is to automatically force the clutching cams 38 operatively against the shoes 36 for swinging such shoes into locking engagement with the guides 12. This locking of the shoes against the guides occurs substan tially instantaneously upon a severing of the.

hoistingcable, and as will be readily seen, such action stops any downward movement of the car and locks the car at whatever po-.

ordinary lowering of the car at the predetermined rate of speed thereof will not w I Copies of this patent may be obtained. for

Cam clutch members 38 are eccentrically serviceable device is thus provided which may be originally installed upon an elevator when the same is manufactured or may be easily placed upon any elevator as an attachment thereto and after the elevator has been installed while the instantaneous automatic operation of the locking mechanism fulfils the main desired object of preventing accidents upon elevators when the hoisting cable is accidentally severed.

While the form of the invention herein shown and described is what is believed to be a preferable embodiment thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that various forms, modifications and arrangements of the parts as shown may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is':

In combination with an elevator-shaft, a car vertically movable therein and provided with a top having guide openings therein,

rods extending'through the guide openings, means to ad ust the position of the rods relative to the guide openings, an upper frame, said rods being secured to the upper frame, other rods fixed with relation to the car top and slidably passing through the upper frame, springs normally urging the upper frame toward the car top, the car being of sufficient weight to normally maintain thesprings expanded, counterweights connected to the first-mentioned rods and arranged to cooperate with the springs upon breaking of the suspension means, guides in said elevator shaft, brakes connected tothe counter-weights and engageable with the guides to lock the car against dropping upon movement of the upper frame toward the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN P. PRQSHEK.

Witnesses:

H. F. HAWKINS, S. PROSHEK.

Washington, D. C. V 

